She Gets Me
by sixteen goonies for breakfast
Summary: She was average looking, not like the other Barbie clones at this school. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, but she kept certain things to herself. She and I clashed for the first hour of Saturday detention, but after awhile, I realized that she gets m
1. 25 minutes

Here we were again. The brain and I were sitting in the school library at two separate desks once again. He sat diagonal from me, chewing on the end of his pen cap, looking as though he were thinking about what he had gotten himself into. His long face was slightly remorseful, which was perfectly fine. I mean, if I hadn't demanded the answers to the algebra final, he wouldn't even be in here. It was all my fault, and I did feel a bit guilty. Geeks like him weren't OCD over getting stuck in Saturday detention.

I, on the other hand, couldn't really care if I was in here. Actually, I was probably–no, _definitely_–safer here in the high school library than I was on the streets, at some pothead's party, at home. I was much safer here than at home. My dad probably doesn't even know where I am during the seven hours of school each day. All he knows is that if my mom doesn't cook, clean, or cater to his ever whim, she might not live to see the light of day. And if I actually exist around him, the same will go for me.

I stopped myself. Brainy didn't need anymore stress than what was already troubling his over-achieving mind. Besides, I didn't wanna lash out on him. He was the one who wanted to help me. So, to avoid any danger, I kicked my feet up on the desk and pulled out a cigarette.

"Deja vu, eh little buddy?" I muttered to Brian, lighting up my fifth smoke of the morning.

Brian, taking the pen out of his mouth, looked back at me and nodded. He opened his mouth to reply, but Vernon's incompetent rambling interrupted him. The crotchety principal came through the doors with a girl following behind. She seemed to be rolling her eyes as he went on without even looking at her.

"And you realize that just because you were absent half the school year, you can't slack off at all. This is school, not your job, not your home, not your cult of rabid fangirls who sleep with the band. Got it?" He grumbled, his eyes narrowed as he pointed to the desk in front of me.

The girl nodded, replied with a sullen, "Yes, sir.", and sat down in her assigned seat.

"You two already know what goes on here, especially you, Bender," the annoying disciplinarian went on, pointing at Brian but keeping his gaze fixed on me. "No talking, no moving, no interacting whatsoever. My door WILL be open, and I WILL hear whatever goes on."

He then left all three of us to an uncomfortable silence. Brian sighed and placed the pen cap back in his mouth. The girl slouched down in her seat and took out a nailfile. I was about to pull my smoke back out, but I found myself intrigued by what the unfamiliar chick was doing.

She was engraving something in the wood of the desk, something that I couldn't make out at all. I leaned a little bit forward to improve my vision, causing her to turn her head slightly. Her brown eyes glanced at me with the impression that she wanted her privacy. She must have been absent for a good, long while because at this high school, everyone knows that John Bender doesn't care what others want or think.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a somewhat hoarse voice. I looked her over for a moment. She had long, slightly messybrown hair that ended in the middle of her back. She wore a black AC DC t-shirt and a pair of torn jeans. Her jeans weren't the ones you'd buy in the store. They were ripped by her, I could tell. She was actually kinda cute.

She snapped her fingers in my face. "Hello? I'm guessing all the lights are on, but no one's in the house."

"Ha ha. Really funny." I snapped back. "Where'd you write that one down? Seriously, you don't look like the kind of person who can remember a full sentence let alone a comeback."

The chick turned around even more, a grimace planted on her face.

"It's comments like those that keep you in here, huh Bender?"

How did she know my name?

"Why are you in here, anyway? Oh, wait, I know. You slept with the teachers to maintain a good GPA. Is the reason you aren't passing science because you don't put out enough? Or did you forget the pill and now you're pregnant with Mr. Brewer's baby?"

I glanced at Brian, who was now indulging in this ongoing feud with some girl I didn't even know. Without hesitation, the broad went on.

She laughed sarcastically, saying, "You know, I don't even think you're worth this. You don't even know me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"It turns out I _do _know you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I do." I looked at Brian quickly, causing him to shudder in surprise. "Who is she?"

The little nerd swallowed a minute, cleared his throat, and looked at the girl, hoping she wouldn't attack. His face was priceless.

"Um...Riley." He said in a small voice. "Riley Scott."

With a sneering smile, I looked back to the chick. "You're Riley Scott. See? I know you just as well as I know Brock here."

"Er, it's Bri-,"

Riley Scott turned around and sighed in annoyance. I didn't mean to have anything else to do with the girl, but it was hard to look past her. She was wearing a pair of low jeans, and being a male, I couldn't resist a look.

She abruptly turned around, causing me to sit back in a flash and shout, "I wasn't doing anything, get off my back!" But I found that she was already talking to Brian, and she didn't even notice my outburst. I listened to their conversation casually.

"How do you know me?" Riley asked him curiously.

Brian straightened in his seat and replied, "Well, um, you were in my Literature class last year. We were partners for the Shakespeare unit. We had Romeo and Juliet-,"

"_Ohhhhhhh_." interrupted Riley. "You were the guy I had to kiss in front of the class! The one with the house on 42nd and Main."

Brian, apparently aroused with the fact that she remembered him, smiled and nodded. But soon the smile began to fade.

"Do you still have that freaky obsession with Barbara Streisand?" Riley asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused gleam in her eyes.

I couldn't contain myself. I burst out laughing like crazy. Brian had a crush on Barbara Streisand!

"Wait, wait, wait." I stifled through my laughs. "You had a thing for _Funny Girl_?"

Pleadingly, Brian defended himself. "Cut it out, it was just a phase. Leave it alone, okay?"

"What, did you get horny listening to her music? Or was it the curly afro in _A Star Is Born_?" I went on, hardly breathing because I was in such jest.

Brian's face went completely red. He hit his head on the desk repetitively as Riley spoke.

"You weren't that bad a kisser, though. The braces ruined the moment a bit, but it was still enjoyable."

I nearly guffawed at this comment. "You kissed Geek Bait and liked it?"

"What's wrong with that?" She questioned.

"First off," I began with confusion. "He's turned on by Barbara Streisand. Secondly, he's Lord of the Geeks. Thirdly, he wears a pocket protector. Enough proof?"

Riley shook her head and turned back around. "You know, you're just like all the other morons here. Shallow. Can't anybody like anyone because of their personality?"

I didn't want to give in to her dumb dogma, but I truly felt the same way. I made fun of myself constantly for thinking that. I hated the way regular girls would look at me and turn away because of my rep or my appearance. And I hated even more when the slutty girls, the ones who were druggies and poor like me, would like me because of my appearance and my rep. So I gave in to them because I knew I would never find a girl who's different.

Well, there was Claire, but she and I would never be on the same page. I liked what she didn't, she hung out with people who didn't like me, and vice versa. And heaven knows neither of us would've given up our lifestyles for the other. We weren't meant to be.

I laid my head on the cold surface of the desk. I was pretty tired. I had been up all night at a party, selling alcohol to earn enough money for some dinner. My mom had lost her job because she couldn't stay awake during her shift. Now I was the provider.

I almost fell asleep when Riley shifted in her desk.

"I'm bored. Truth or dare, anyone?" She asked dully, twirling a strand of her dark hair.

My distant expression hid my loathing for that dumbass game. It was dumb and immature, just like Junior High. But I knew I was going to be outvoted the minute I saw Brian nod. Both he and Riley set their gazes upon me, waiting for my response.

"Aww, jeez..._fine_." I mumbled, caving in. "But on one condition. None of that cheesy shit like kissing on the cheek or picking truth all the time."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then we'll raise the bar a little bit. No truth, only dares. And no backing out. Deal?"

"Now that's my kind of game. Deal." I replied.

Brian gulped, closed his eyes, and stammered softly, "...I guess...deal."


	2. 45 minutes

Quick Author's Note 

Wow! Two reviews! That's one more than...well, one! But honestly, thanks to poohismyhunnie and MidnightBlue88 for the input. Every little comment goes a long way, trust me. I appreciate it a lot. Oh, and by the way, to answer any questions, the rest of the gang will pop up occasionally. The answer to the 'Are they still friends?' question will be answered in future chapters. Thanks SO much! Luv yah 3 (P.S. Poor Brian, so overlooked yet so essential to the Breakfast Club!)

Brian, who was looking downright queasy, folded his arms across his skinny chest and tapped his foot incoherently. Apparently, he didn't like dares. I had the impression from the beginning of the game that he was the type who always answered the truth questions, exaggerating whenever a personal question would come along.

Now Riley would probably pick dare most of the time, but when a truth question came along, she would definitely answer honestly. I had a feeling that playing Truth or Dare with her would end up with all three of us doing something inevitably embarrassing. Soon, though, I would find out that there were certain things that Riley Scott wouldn't answer if her life depended on it, and her emotions would prove that she wasn't _entirely_ different from the girls at school.

"I'll start." I volunteered without hesitation, pulling my leg up onto my seat and wrapping my arms around my knee. My first instinct was to attack Riley with something really perverted like making out with Vernon, but I needed to warm up my vicious mind. I needed an appetizer before starting on the main course. Brian would be my prey.

"Johnson, I dare you to–,"

"Wait!" Brian interrupted in a shaky tone. His eyes were filled with unwanted anticipation. "N-nothing harmful to my health...or something that will get me suspended...,"

I rolled my eyes and snapped back. "Alright, sissy. I'll make it easy so you don't break a nail. I dare you to...," My eyes wandered around the room for a second before I spotted the large statue by the staircase. "I dare you to hump that statue."

Brian raised an eyebrow in confusion. His expression said, "Are you kidding me?", but inside, he was asking himself, "Why did I agree to do this?". Riley suddenly started laughing as she reached into her purple messenger bag and pulled out a video camera. I was surprised, but impressed by her idea.

She turned it on, put her eye to the eyepiece, and focused on the frightened geek.

"Ahem, I recall the rules being no backing out." She stated, a smile lingering on her lips.

Finally, Brian walked over to the statue slowly, as if he were walking to the electric chair. I couldn't see his face from where I was, but I could tell he was rolling his eyes in embarrassment.

Our howls of laughter must've made their way to Vernon's ears because in no less than three minutes, he was in the library doorway with his hands on his hips.

"What's going on...,"

His voice trailed off as he caught glimpse of Brian thrusting his body against the large statue over and over again. Riley stopped filming and hid the camera underneath the table as Vernon began to shout.

"Johnson, what the hell are you doing?" He asked in a loud, gruff voice, causing Brian to turn towards the confused principal. The color flushed from his face. His eyes grew wide. His mouth trembled, and his knees buckled with a jolt. He stood there for a few seconds in utter embarrassment before returning to his seat silently and resting his head on the desk.

Vernon closed his eyes, shook his head, and said, "I don't even want to know. Just...shut up and...and stay in your seats." Riley glanced back at me with an amused grin, which I returned in spite of the situation. As Vernon left us again, he muttered, "Horny little bastard."

Riley shot back around, she lifted her camera up again and went back to Brian.

"Ha! The image of a torn young man after being caught screwing an inanimate object. Priceless." She giggled, turning the camera towards me. "Your thoughts on this, Mr. Bender?"

I cocked my head slightly, put my palms together, and sighed. "The teenage years can be brutal. Between the acne, the parents, school, and the opposite sex, sexual needs are thrown in there somewhere. Thank you for joining us on 'When Good Geeks Go Horny'."

With an infectious laugh, Riley put the camera down on her lap. Her brown eyes found Brian, who was hitting his head against the desk. She smiled with pity.

"Aw, Brian, don't get all upset. It's no big deal. Besides, you have the next dare."

The distraught dork's puny head shot up quickly, his face dull and annoyed. I couldn't blame him for looking at us like that. It _was_ embarrassing.

But he spoke in a strangled voice. "Okay...okay, fine. It's my turn. _I_ pick the dare this time. _Me._ And I dare you," He motioned his head towards Riley. "I dare you to go into the guys' restroom with Bender and make out **ON CAMERA**. Got that? ON the CAMERA! Oh, and not just any kiss. French kiss. Yeah, you two have to **french kiss** in the **guys' bathroom** on **camera**!"

I just shrugged it off. How juvenile. It wasn't that big of deal. It would've been if I was like, thirteen, but I wasn't. I've done more things with a girl playing Truth or Dare than french kissing. I stood up and looked at Riley. Her face had uneasy written all over it. Evidently, this was a little much for her, surprisingly.

"Well?" I asked her. "You gonna chicken out? Sorry, but I recall the rules being no backing out."

She ran a hand through her hair, closed her eyes for a second, then stood up with the camera in her hand. She made her way out the door quickly, causing me to jog to catch up with her. She walked passed Vernon's office without any hesitation at a pace that was slightly hard to meet.

Before I could say anything to her, she went into the mens' restrooms. When I walked in, I found her leaning against the sink with her hands in her pockets. The camera was sitting on the top of the paper towel distributor with the power button off.

I pointed behind me with my thumb and asked, "What was that back there? You totally ditched the whole renegade bitch routine. You're making it seem like you're actually afraid to do this...,"

She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes showed her mind thinking a million words a minute. You could tell a lot of things through her eyes. She stared at the floor as thoughts flooded her brain.

Suddenly, she snapped out of it with an accusing glare.

"What?" She began in a cold tone. "You think I'm going to back out on this? Just because I'm a little jittery about this doesn't mean I'm backing out."

I frowned. "Why are you jittery?"

"Nothing you need to know about. Leave it alone, and let's get this over with."

"No, I want to know."

"Freaking shut up and leave it alone! It's my business!"

"Give it up, you want to tell me! Girls always act like they won't tell you their shit when they really end up pouring out their hearts to–,"

"Shut up and kiss me!"

I found myself cut off by a pair of soft lips gently caressing mine. I noticed that the camera was still sitting on the paper towel machine, but I was kind of enjoying this. She slipped her tongue in my mouth, sending me on a spree of adrenaline. She tasted like Twizzlers, ironically my favorite candy. It went on for about two more minutes before she pulled away.

"Hmm, well...that was nice." She smiled halfheartedly, turning to get her camera. Without realizing it, my hand grabbed her forearm before she could leave. Her sparkling brown eyes gradually made their way to my hand, then to my face. I found myself staring into the face of a girl who I had known only forty-five minutes and had already made out with her. It wasn't that that surprised me. Believe me, I went further than kissing with chicks I had known chicks for less than forty-five minutes.

There was just something about her that I couldn't put my finger on. Like...like I had known her for more than forty-five minutes. I couldn't help but feel some strange attraction to her, and the need for that same adrenaline I had felt only a few minutes ago was beginning to overpower me.

I leaned in for another kiss, but found that she was ducking from me. I hadn't felt so embarrassed...ever. The look on her face was as though she was disgusted, or some would even say scared. I was confused now.

"Please...let go of my arm." She told me in a soft voice.

I did as told, allowing her to take the camera, look at me one more time, and leave. When the door closed, I stood in front of the mirror, looking at my reflection while I...well, reflected.

"So...she had some reluctancy to kiss me, then she _did_ kiss me...she seemed disappointed afterwards...I didn't want her to stop...but she did, so she ducked...," I pondered over this for a good few seconds before coming to the conclusion, "Shit, I need a smoke."


	3. 65 minutes

Quick Author's Note

Thanks again, sorry if I hadn't acknowledged everyone who reviewed, but as I said, every comment is appreciated! Keep em coming, I love getting feedback. Thanks again to everyone! Luv yah 3 (P.S. I kinda altered Bender a little bit this chapter but he's gonna be back to his same rebel self in the next few chapters, I promise!)

I came back to the library to discover that Brian was all the way the other side of the room, sitting at his desk with a frightened stare at Riley. She, on the other hand, was in her assigned spot, filing away at the desk. She didn't bother to look up at me as I made my way towards Brian. When we were out of her earshot, Brian motioned for me to come close.

"Whatever you two did in there, it made her go on a rampage." He whispered in my ear. "She started crying in the hallway, and Vernon came out to check on her. She was screaming at him and all this stuff. He helped her back in here, but whenever he tried to touch her, she just yelled at him. Then, she just sat down at the desk and got out her nailfile."

I was puzzled at this. She went on a rampage? Suddenly, she started reminding me of Allison. I hadn't spoken with Allison since that certain Saturday. Apparently, she and her family moved to Columbus to find her a new doctor. I knew she had issues, but it was somewhat depressing to hear that she wouldn't be back.

"She's probably PMS or something." I concluded, even though I knew that something else was going on. "Watch, I'll get her to talk."

Brian looked at me as though I were crazy. "And get your head bitten off? Fine by me, just don't say I didn't warn you."

I stood up from my squatting position and made my way over to Riley. Even though my boots made a slight squeak as I walked, she still didn't acknowledge me at all. I walked in front of her desk, jumped up on top, and sat on it.

"What's up with you?" I asked, turning on that familiar rebel attitude. "Brain Drain tells me you had a spaz attack. Are you mental or is it just that time of the month?"

Riley looked up at me, her eyes still glistening with the remnants of tears. She shook her head, sniffled, and went back to carving into the wooden desk. I rolled my eyes and went on.

"Look, if it was because of the whole kiss thing in there, no one except you and I know about it. It's no big deal. Just get over it. We've got almost another hour of this hell, and if you're going to mope and cry then rid us of your presence and do it in the bathroom."

The sound of the sharp file against the wood was starting to agitate me more and more. I hated it whenever people didn't listen to me. I was so used to it at home that I thought if people outside my house don't listen, then I might as well go ballistic on their ass. Before she could saw at the desktop anymore, I grabbed the file from her fingers and broke it in half.

"God, will you freaking listen to me?" I shouted, finding her gaze into my eyes eerie and uncomfortable. "Why are you acting like this? Is it because of the whole dare thing? Why the hell were you so uneasy about kissing me?"

"**BECAUSE**," She began, standing up and slamming her fists on the desk. "I'm not allowed...I'm not allowed to even be alone with a guy...,"

The image of an overprotective father scolding his daughter for going on a date came into my mind as Riley went on.

"Do you really wanna know the truth, Bender?" She asked with teary eyes. "I live with my dad and my brother. My mom divorced my dad when I was born. You know why? Because he raped her. I was born because my father is a rapist. He got custody of me, so he can do whatever the hell he wants with me. The same for my brother. The reason I'm not allowed to go on dates, to go to school dances, to go to football games, or even to the mall...I'm not allowed because they think I'm their...their property."

I could feel my face burning red while my insides went freezing cold. I could barely think...all I could do was listen to her go on and on, reliving horrible memories because I had to bring them out.

She slammed her fist on the desk again. "And when you grabbed my arm like that, like this," She took my arm with her small hand, squeezing it with all her might. "...it reminded me of my family...and I got scared. I'm still scared...I don't like that feeling, I don't like knowing that after school is over, I have to go back there...back home. And the only thing that keeps me going...is reminding myself...that there are probably people out there who have it way worse...

"The reason I haven't been to school...it's because I tried to run away...but my dad caught me. I was so..._so close_...I had my foot right on the gas pedal...but he found me...and the bat," She imitated the action, holding an imaginary baseball bat above her head, then thrusting it down in front of her. "...the bat came through...through the windshield and it hit me in the shoulder. It was shattered...I screamed, but...no one heard me. Not even my dad...and he was right in front of me the whole time."

I was dumbfounded. I glanced at Brian, who shared the same disbelieving look that I sported. My palms were sweating profusely, and my pulse was speeding fast. Suddenly, something inside me clicked at that moment. I felt something...it felt like a ray of light shooting through my eyes.

"I know that feeling."

"...you do?.."

I nodded. "I know what it's like to scream, and to have no one hear you." She cried a little bit, burying her face in her hands for a moment. I put my hand on her shoulder, hoping to soothe her pain. Brian remained quiet, being the polite and sensitive guy I knew he was deep down.

In those moments of pain, I came to realize another thing. No matter what teenager, no matter the group, stereotype, or clique, parents were the problem. The same went for Andy, Claire, Allison, Brian, me, Riley, and so many others. And even though we all blamed our parents, vowing never to imitate their ways...we know that someday, when we're parents, we're inevitably going to do what they did. Not all the time, but it's hard not to copy your parents.

Riley sniffled again, breaking me from my thoughts, and wiped the tears from below her eyes. She bit her lip as she glanced around the room, catching Brian's stare. With a light smile, she turned around to face him.

"You can move back over here. I'm not devil-touched all the time."

Brian returned the smile and chuckled slightly. "For a minute there I thought you were going to pull out that file and stab Vernon."

"Well, I didn't do that," She admitted, looking at me for a moment. "But I hope he's still able to have children after that kicking I did."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise, asking, "You kicked Dick in the family jewels? Don't be sorry if he can't have kids 'cause the last thing the world needs is him spawning little Vernons all over the planet."

We all shared a hearty laugh and eventually got to talking. I had to admit, I was a little more comfortable in this small group than I was the last Saturday detention with the others. I hadn't known anyone there personally before then, only by reputation. It had gotten easier to talk with them as the day rolled on, but fights would erupt every now and then. Each one was probably caused by my teasing on Claire. It was just sort of fun to annoy her. I had to admit, the princess looked hot whenever she was agitated.

At around twelve, Vernon came in and gave us permission to eat lunch and buy drinks. Riley volunteered to get the sodas from the machine down the hall, leaving me and the dork to eat alone for awhile.

He pulled out his brown paper sack and stuck his hand inside, rummaging around for his food. He took out a sandwich, a little bag of chips, and a box of Mike and Ike's candies. Pushing them towards me, he smiled and reached back in only to pull out the same thing for himself. I looked down at the food gratefully.

"Uh, thanks, man." I replied, patting him on the back.

"I had to come prepared." He stated, taking a bite of his sandwich. "So...tell me what went on in the bathroom."

Glancing around the room to make sure that Riley wasn't in sight, I pulled out a couple chips and told him the whole thing. He wasn't as confused I had was know that he knew why she had been so strange beforehand.

He took another bite of his lunch. "Did you like it?"

"Hmm...it was–," I stopped myself short as Riley entered the library with three cans of Cherry Coke in her arms. Hoping to disguise the conversation, I said to Brian, "And that's how I went to jail for hijacking the mayor's Porsche."

Riley looked like she could care less what we were talking about as she set the pop cans down on the desk, taking one for herself, and sitting in her own seat. She took out her lunch from her messenger bag nonchalantly and began to eat. I smiled to myself as she pulled out a few Twizzlers.

She must've seen me staring at her because she looked back at me with her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" She asked, going back to her meal.

I shrugged. "You like Twizzlers?"

"Well, would I be eating them if I didn't?" She grinned a little bit before nodding and leaning back in her chair. "They're my favorite candy. Do you want one?"

I couldn't help but remember the kiss, her trademark taste. I couldn't believe how sappy I felt. This wasn't the same John Bender that had entered the school this morning with a shitty attitude.

Riley cleared her throat and asked, "Well? Do you want one or not?"

"No thanks, I already had some today."


	4. 85 minutes

Quick Author's Note

Hey again everyone...I've been having such writer's block since that last chapter, which by the way, I am not very proud of. So, I really tried to get some more inspiration and, behold! I had a dream! No seriously...I had a dream about it! Weird, but cool! Thanks once again to all the reviewers! Next chapters are going to be hopefully better than these few! Lots of excitement and DRAMA! 3 Carly

We all sat tiredly in silence, waiting for Vernon to dismiss us. It was a little weird. Normally, he would check in here every hour or less to make sure we weren't burning down the school or escaping. This wasn't like Dick. I shrugged it off, glancing at the clock. We still had about ten minutes left. The day had gone entirely too fast, but I was really anticipating dismissal.

"Hey Bender," I heard Brian say in a lazy voice. "Just out of curiosity...what happened with you and Claire?"

I could see Riley's brown eyes glimpse at me for a moment, but she went back to playing with her hair immediately. I didn't really want to bring it all up, but I had nothing better to do. I decided that I would play with his mind a bit.

"What, did you really think that me and Material Girl would hook up? Go on dates? Hold hands? Play kissy-kissy? Go in the back of her daddy's Porsche and have promiscuous sex?" I teased, staring at Brian with a sarcastic stare.

He shifted in his seat uneasily. "Um...well, I just thought that since–,"

"Well you freaking thought wrong, asshole."

Riley turned around in her seat, a few strands of hair braided in random places. She rocked back and forth in the chair and looked at me.

"_You_ were with Claire Standish?" She asked, disbelief in her hoarse voice. "Isn't she like...prom queen?"

I looked at her with a cold, hard gaze and replied, "First of all, I wasn't _with_ her. Ever. And secondly, what if I was? Is it a shock?"

"Well, um, YEAH. The notorious, rebellious John Bender with the popular, rich, insanely gorgeous Claire Standish? It sounds like a cheesy sitcom." Riley stated with conviction.

Straightening in my seat, I brought my arms to my chest and crossed them. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it? I mean, sure, me and Claire were from totally different backgrounds and social groups, but other than that...we weren't that strange together.

"Sounds to me like someone's got a little green-eyed monster on their shoulder." I spoke, keeping the same cold look while I tried to keep her from knowing what I was thinking on the inside.

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Jealous of a perfect redhead who could probably afford half of China? Maybe I would be for that reason, but if you're referring to the issue of your relationship with her, then you're horribly mistaken, Bender."

"You know," Brian began. "You do sound kind of jealous."

"See? Even the guy who won't ever get to hold hands with a chick knows it. You're a jealous little girl and you know it." I shot back, watching as Riley became frustrated. Brian had a look of slight hurt lingering in his eyes, but he just shook it off.

"I'm...I'm so totally not jealous. Really, I'm not. I mean, I do have a tendency to become jealous easily, but not now." Riley kicked the floor with her foot as she tried to defend herself. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why are you ragging on me? It's like you want me to be jealous."

"Oh please," I responded, throwing my head back and closing my eyes. "Stop trying to change the subject. You know you're jealous, just admit it."

Finally, Vernon popped his head in the doorway. His beady eyes were targeting Riley with suspicion and a slight fear. Hell, I'd have been freaked out of my fucking mind too if she had gone mental on me. Riley shifted in her seat. When she saw the scared principal, she rolled her eyes and faced the front.

"It's alright, Mr. Vernon, I turned off the bitch switch. You're safe now." She muttered with the same sour attitude that she embodied only a few seconds ago.

Vernon looked at Brian and I, like he was waiting for our approval. Brian nodded solemnly, being the brownie he had grown up to be. But I wanted to have some fun. I wanted to seize the opportunity to mess with my archenemy's twisted, pathetic mind.

I kicked my feet off the table and rested my elbows on the desk.

"I don't know, sir. She's been saying that the whole time, but she almost tried to hang Johnson over here on the flagpole by his briefs." I lied, trying to be as serious as possible. Both Brian and Riley turned back to me with confused glares.

Vernon raised his eyebrows in spite and said, "Oh did she? Well, I hope you're comfortable in that seat, Miss Scott, because for that little number, you're back here next week. "

Riley's mouth dropped a little as she pointed to me, ready to oppose my comment. I was so ready for her to tell on me, I could already feel her words sinking in. To my surprise, though, her hand dropped to her side instead of singling me out. She crossed her legs, followed by her arms, and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm starting to feel a little closed in, Mr. Vernon." She began in a small voice. "I just can't deal with this any more!" She buried her head in her arms on the desk, faking a sob. Vernon's face became paler as he looked from Riley to me frantically.

"She's not going to go nuts again, is she? Because if she is–,"

"Calm down, Dick. She's like an animal with rabies. If you provoke her, you'll end up with one hell of a nasty bite." I told him, knowing that Riley was trying to fake him out in order for her name to be cleared for next week's Saturday detention.

Vernon ran a hand through his graying hair and groaned. "God damn it! Look, I'm sorry! Just keep cool, okay? I don't wanna make a scene, for Christ's sake!"

Riley just kept heaving sobs, ignoring the flustered principal. Brian was sitting in his seat casually watching the situation as though it were one of his dorky science television shows. He must've gotten the picture also because he glanced at me with a smirk.

"What–why is she crying? Damn it, what do you want out of me!" cried Vernon with absolutely no control. He was pacing around in thoughtless fear, treating the situation like Riley was a bomb he had to detonate.

Seeing as we only had three minutes before we could be dismissed, I decided to help out Dick with the problem.

"Excuse me, sir? I think you should exempt her from next week's Saturday detention. She's probably spiraling for that reason."

Vernon looked back up at me with a frazzled, pleading stare.

"That's what she wants? That's what it is?" He asked as Riley slowly lifted her head to justify herself. Vernon looked back down at her. "I can't do that! That's like freeing a fucking convict from jail!"

Riley dropped her head again, balling even harder. She balled her fists, her knuckles became white along with Vernon's face. He looked back to me.

I shrugged. "Fine, it's your life she's gonna take, not mine."

"Aw...shit. Fine. She's off the hook." It was hilarious to watch the scared man cave in. He focused on Riley once more. "Did you hear that? You're off the hook, no detention!"

In a flash, Riley looked up at him with wet cheeks and a smile. She clasped her hand to her chest and sniffled.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Vernon." Her voice was false and phony with apology. "I'm sorry, I just felt myself losing control. Thank you for excluding me from next week's detentions."

Vernon nodded and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, yeah. Just go. All of you morons, just go. Dear God, I need a drink." He left the library mumbling curses to himself. Riley turned around, took a bow, and picked up her messenger bag.

"Thank you, my dear audience. I'd like to thank the academy for acknowledging my performance, and all the little people who accused me of being a jealous bitch." She smiled with a sarcastic grin and began to leave the room. "It was nice doing time with you two. Au revoir."

As I exited the library, I thought that was the last Riley Scott would make an impact on me or Brian. The same thing that happened on March 24th would probably happen again. We would all leave the school with only memories, and then it would all fade soon enough. But it wouldn't be the last time Brian, Riley, and I would be reunited. In fact, we'd see each other in less than ten minutes.


	5. Leaving Detention Behind

I made my way out of the schoolyard slowly with Brainy trailing behind me. With a carton of cigarettes, sixteen dollars and some loose change, I was ready to leave the detention behind. I could probably get home now, the ol' man was probably still asleep. Mom probably went to her sister's for the night. She did that whenever her and my dad got too rough with each other. She'd sneak out whenever Dad was sleeping off a hangover and stay at my Aunt Trisha's for a few days.

I crossed the street, planning out the rest of my day in my sorry excuse for a mind, when I realized that Brian was at the bike rack close to the teachers' parking lot. He was unlocking an apparently new green Huffy. He saw me looking at him over my shoulder and gave me a short wave. I nodded my head and turned right into a large, beefy sort of guy.

"Watch it, fucker!" He grumbled as I tried to regain my balance. Suddenly, as I looked him over, I realized who I had just toppled into. It was Cameron Ripley, also called Rip by his friends and foe. We knew each other, but not enough to be considered friends.

He wasn't the most handsome guy due to a four-wheeler accident last year. He and a pal got in a fight while riding together in the woods, causing all hell to break loose. Rip tried to ram into his friend from the back, but ended up flipping the four-wheeler onto himself and getting his face smashed by the wheel. He suffered a broken nose, a gash across his jaw line, and four teeth knocked out.

He recognized me after a moment and gave me what I considered an apology.

"Bender? Damn, man, you're lucky you weren't some asshole or you would've ended up with a switchblade in your side." He said in a low voice. "You just get out of detention?"

I nodded, trying not to stare at his abnormally disfigured nose.

"Yeah, my third one this month."

"You should just fuck school and follow my lead, man." He went on, his dark green eyes following something behind me. "School's a blast when you're not in it."

I shrugged. "Yeah, well-,"

"Hold on a second, Bender. I've got some shit to take care of." He interrupted as he began to walk towards the school. I turned around in curiosity of what he was going after, but found that it was something that made my stomach churn a bit. He was walking straight towards Brian and his bike.

I don't know what Brian was still doing there. Maybe he couldn't unlock his bike. Or maybe he was eavesdropping on the conversation between two troublemakers. Whatever the reason, he really should've left sooner. I was ready to follow, ready to make sure that the nerd wasn't going to get clobbered, but I quickly reminded myself of who I was and my reputation. I was John Bender, school rogue and rebel. What would people think if I went to help a geek? Wait..since when did I care what people were thinking?

I watched as Rip put a hand on the black seat of the bike. Brian's head immediately shot up as Rip ran his hand along the shiny, green frame.

"Well, well, well." He mumbled. "What a super bike, kiddo. I'll bet you used all the money you earned from the tooth fairy to buy this fine vehicle, didn't you?"

Brian swallowed, knowing what would go on. "Look, Rip, I just bought this bike. Can't you just leave me alone?"

Rip kicked the wheel with his surprisingly small shoe, causing Brian to make a small squeak of helplessness. The bully kicked the bike again, this time allowing Brian to gather up his courage and stand up.

"Knock it off, you asshole!"

"Don't you fucking talk back to me, you insolent, little faggot! You just lost your bike!" Rip shouted, climbing over the bike and grabbing Brian by his skinny arm. My muscles tensed as Rip dragged Brian onto the sidewalk. He dropped him and knelt down to take hold of Brian's face, squeezing it within his grasp.

Rip's eyes narrowed as he spit in Brian's face. "I hope you weren't too attached to that bicycle, dweeb, 'cause you ain't gonna be seeing it for a long time. Maybe this will teach you not to sass your elders."

"Get off of me!" Brian yelled, struggling to get away. Just as I was ready to do something, Rip slammed Brian's head against the cement with a loud crack. My anger seared as Brian went still. I swallowed my pride and ran over to Rip, grabbing him and putting him in a half-nelson.

"You fucking made a huge mistake!" I shouted in his ear. "If he's dead, I'm gonna kill you, you jerk! You hear that!"

Rip made it out of my grip and kicked me in the stomach. As I doubled over, he punched me in the head and kicked the back of my knee, causing me to tumbled over in pain. I was hurting so much that I actually wished Vernon were here to break it up.

I expected another blow, but as I looked up, I could see Rip was distracted by something else. To my shock, I heard a familiar voice.

"What's going on? What–what's wrong with them?" Riley asked. I turned my head around gently to see what she was about to do. She was looking at the scene with complete shock, then her eyes widened as she looked at Brian. She cupped her hands over her mouth and ran to his unconscious body.

Checking his pulse, she sighed a breath of what seemed to be relief.

"He's alive, just knocked out." She stated before glancing at Rip and I in confusion. "Who did this to him? Bender, you didn't–,"

"Fuck no!" I sputtered as I clutching my aching chest. "Don't be stupid, it was him!" Rip kicked me again as Riley stood back up in defense. She grabbed his arm to stop him.

Her tone was dark and angry as she told him, "Leave him alone! Get out of here or I'll get the cops involved! I know a police officer who lives right on the corner of the street!"

"Jeez, bitch, you think I'm scared of cops?" Rip asked with amusement, pulling away from her. He ran up the stairs and got on Brian's bike, ready to ride down the street. I stood up and chased after him, shouting profanities the whole way.

Finally, in the middle of the street, I had caught up to him. I kicked the wheel and Rip fell over, the sound of his skin sliding against the road and his screaming was loud and harsh. I also fell with him, scraping my face along the road also. Riley ran up to me a minute later and knelt by my side.

"I got Vernon to call an ambulance, don't worry." She said. She was trying to remain calm, but her voice was unsteady as she looked at me.

To avoid any uncomfortable silences and stares, I propped myself up on my elbows, which were the only things that didn't hurt. Riley bit her lip, trying to hold back any faces that would be a sign that I looked bad.

"How's my face look? Be honest." I asked.

She sighed unevenly. "It looks like hell. The cuts run all the way from the top of your eyebrow to the end of your jaw. You're lucky, though, compared to that guy." I knew she meant Rip, who was lying on the road in silent pain.

I flinched as I blinked. It hurt even to move my eyes from side to side. Riley slowly put a hand on mine, her fingers massaging the top of my hand. I tried to smile, but it came out as a pained smirk.

"Now is not the time to get all romantic on me." I told her.

She grinned with a giggle. "Maybe later then."


	6. Not the Same John Bender

Quick Author's Note

Well, I'm back! I know I haven't done anything on this story since somewhere in...July?...anyway, I'm back to finish it! My computer broke and so I was left stranded and Microsoft Word-less so yeah...well, enjoy!

I came back from the hospital with twelve stitches on the side of my face, a brace on my knee, and Riley walking beside me in the parking lot. She had followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited for me in the lobby. As corny as it sounds, it meant a lot to me that she stayed by my side. Normally, when I went to the hospital on rare occasions, I would be by myself.

Once we reached her little red car, Riley gave me a cute smile and leaned against the hood and stuffed her hands in her jean pockets.

"You know, those bruises make you look tough." She told me.

"Does that mean I didn't look tough before?"

"No, but after today and all you seemed more like a wisecracking, detention-plagued bad boy with a good heart somewhere in that body."

She giggled, and I gave her a grin now that my face was numb enough to move without it hurting. I found myself thinking about how hot she looked in that ACDC t-shirt, but I tried to shake that feeling. I didn't want to end up with another situation like the one with Claire. Sure, Claire and Riley were both different, but I would feel pretty low if Riley became another one of the pictures in my wallet.

"So..," She said, knocking me out of my thoughts. "You want to stop somewhere for some burgers and a drink?"

I looked down at the ground before shaking my head regretfully.

"I'm just gonna walk home. I've got stuff to do and...yeah." I replied as nonchalant as I could possibly be. Riley's face showed slight disappointment, but nothing serious. I hope I hadn't led her on earlier.

"Oh, well, okay."

"So...uh, thanks."

I turned around without looking at her and began to walk towards the freeway. I figured if I just walked away without anything to say, maybe she would just leave too and be on her way. Maybe I wouldn't even see her again.

"John,"

Damn, my plan had been foiled. I looked at her slowly and questioningly, wishing I could just get home without any drama. Wow, this had to be the first time in my whole life that I actually wanted to get home.

"Yeah?" I answered.

Riley stared at me with her head tilted to the side slightly. Her hair fell on her left shoulder and shined in the sunlight. She bit her lip, took a breath, and motioned for me to come to her. To this, I groaned and made my way to her.

I stopped in front of her, staring up at the sky, and asked, "What?"

Suddenly, I realized that she had gotten on her tiptoes and planted her lips on mine. I let her kiss me for another few seconds before pulling away and turning my head. Riley got off her toes and bowed her head embarrassedly.

"That was just for...for earlier."

"Look, I'm not trying to start anything, but I don't want to lead you on." I told her while trying to convince myself as well as her. "You're a nice chick and everything. I just don't want a girlfriend right now."

She gave me a confused look. "Girlfriend? All I was doing was making up for that dare that Brian gave us."

It may not have showed, but my stomach had dropped at her comment. Was I so hooked on Riley that I had myself thinking she wanted to date me? This was not the same John Bender who had come to detention today. Then again, ever since the detention we had dubbed 'The Breakfast Club', I hadn't really been the same. Now I just felt embarrassed.

"Maybe I'll see you at school." She said to lighten the mood. "I need to go."

I nodded and walked away feeling like the biggest asshole in the universe.


	7. Strange Magic

A/N

Thank you MidnightBlue88! You are probably my greatest reviewer ever! (No offense to my other reviewers, you all rock hard too!) I'm really ready for the next few chapters. I've got some great ideas! Well, read on! Luv yah 3 Carlee

I came to school around ten o'clock on Monday. That was late, even for me. I didn't usually skip shop, but ever since that fucking dumb comment from Brainy about the 'dopes who take shop', I'd decided that maybe it was a moronic class. Wood glueing things together to make stupid things like lamps was idiotic.

I walked into Mr. Bertin's class casually. I saw that he was not in the room, and that total chaos had begun to break out. Some nerds were sitting in their desks, quietly discussing something nerd-related while a group of girls sat in the corner with their makeup spilled all over their desks. The group that stuck out most in my mind was the jocks. A few of them were talking to the cheerleaders while I noticed that one of them was sitting quietly beside them, staring blankly at the floor. What gave his identity away was the missing patch on his letterman's jacket.

Sporto. A miserable looking sight, if you ask me. Not that I had noticed much, but he had been a sulky mess ever since Allison moved away. I had to give him some credit for actually acknowledging her after that detention. I think they actually went on a date before she left. Watching him was pathetic, and I felt a pang of sympathy for the guy.

I took a seat in front of the nerds, finding that they had become scared and quiet. Kicking my feet up onto the desk in front of me, I sighed and wondered why I had come here. Then, I saw a very familiar brunette sitting next to a few girls a few rows back.

Riley had caught my glance, smiled, and went back to talking to her friends. Suddenly, I felt myself drawn to her presence. Once again, another questionable feeling from me, John Bender, but she just seemed so...so...damn fine.

"Did you just smile at John Bender?" A blonde chick asked Riley in wonder. "And did he actually smile back?"

A few of them gasped as Riley frowned. "Hmm? Are you crazy? John Bender would not **ever** smile at me."

I grinned to myself. That crazy little bitch.

After class was over, I walked out into the hall, deciding to probably just play hooky when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"What the hell do you–," I whizzed around to find Riley standing there with a slightly startled look on her face.

"Well hello to you too," She responded, taking her hand off me. I started to walk down the hallway with her following not too far behind. "Hey, wait!" She called.

I felt a little pissed off at myself for trying to avoid her. I don't really remember if it was because I was embarrassed about that kiss or because I had a rep to maintain, but I did remember the way I had shouted at Claire, "You are a bitch!", because she was being honest about not speaking to any of us. Now I felt like an ass again. This pattern was occurring a lot now that I had met Riley.

"Look, all I want to do is tell you the 411 on Brian." She told me.

I stopped, looked back at her, and took her by the hand. She seemed taken aback by this. I led her to the janitor's closet and closed the door. Some idiot shouted at me, "Hey, hey! Way to score, Bender!" as the door had closed.

Riley had crossed her arms across her chest and gave me a cold look. "Why do we have to talk in a closet? Am I that embarrassing?"

"Look, it's not that." I tried to tell her. "I just...what's the deal with Brain Drain?"

She gave me another cold stare before telling me what she had found out from some of the Physics Club members.

"They said he has a small concussion and a few bruises here and there. He's coming back to school next week." Her velvet brown eyes fell on me again, this time with a hint of compassion. "If you hadn't stood up to that Rip guy, it could have been much worse."

How come feeling like a hero was starting to feel really good? Especially coming from her.The way she looked at me almost admirably gave me a shot of pride as well as (and to this day, I still hate admitting it) a bashful feeling. Now, if you anything at all about me, it's that I'm not ashamed of anything. Not ashamed of telling it like it is. That's just how I am. I fear nothing.

But as I have said countless times, this wasn't the same John Bender.

"Can I get out of here?" Riley asked me finally, taking a step towards the door. I was ready to let her out of this musty room when I decided that maybe I could ease up a little bit–for Brian's sake, I mean.

"Wait, where's Brian staying at?" I asked her.

Riley raised an eyebrow and replied, "Uh...Collins Hospital."

"Isn't that off I-79?"

"Yeah, I'm going there tonight."

Gathering up all my courage and ignoring my reputation as Bender the Bad, I shoved my hands in my pockets, stared at the ground, and said, "Meet me there around four. In the lobby."

Riley's frown became a beautiful smile, bearing her white teeth and letting out a chuckle of relief. She nicked me on the shoulder with her fist playfully.

"You're full of surprises, John."

Without hesitation, I smiled back. She had this thing where whenever she would smile, I'd automatically smile. She just brought out the best in me, I guess. I just wish that it wasn't like that.

"See you then." She told me when she left down the hall. I watched her walk until she turned a corner, and then I took a moment to think. She was an amazing girl. It took a lot for me to think that. It also took a lot for me to not call her a chick.

And then, instead of playing hooky, I went to next mod in an unusually upbeat mood.


	8. Full Of Surprises

I glanced at the clock on the wall in the hospital lobby as I came in. It was twenty minutes after four o'clock. I was twenty minutes late. _Screw it_, I thought to myself._ She's not gonna care._ A few people looked up at me as I walked in, and I glanced around to see if Riley was there. To my surprise, she was nowhere to be found. She wasn't sitting down or standing in the Visitor Sign-In line.

So I sat down and waited a moment for her. The old woman beside me scanned me over, decided that I was something like a contagious disease, and moved down about four seats. I was used to this, especially from old people. It was probably the chains on my jeans, the length of my hair, and the scowl on my face that disturbed them. I found it kind of funny, but only because I knew that I wasn't a good kid. No one would expect me to help some elderly man carry his groceries to his car, so I didn't.

Someone walked in and I turned to find a breathless Riley. She seemed a little flustered. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and she looked shaky.

"I was gonna ask why you were running late," I told her as I stood up and walked towards her. "But I think a better question is why were you running a marathon?"

She gave me a sheepish smile, one that hid something. She pointed over to the Sign-In line and said, "Let me sign us in. It'll only take a minute."

I sat back down as she hurried over to the line and began to fill out a form. Suddenly, the doors bursted open and some paramedics were wheeling in someone on a stretcher. I didn't catch a glimpse of who it was, but they were convulsing within their restraints and shrieking horribly.

I heard one of the paramedics say something about steroids being involved when Riley came back. She was watching the doctors depart down the hallway quickly before she looked at me.

"How sad." She handed me a sticker with my name written in permanent marker under the word 'Visitor'. "Here, you have to wear it to get in."

I raised an eyebrow and replied in a smartalecky tone, "I can put it anywhere?"

She nodded, but rolled her eyes as I went to stick it on the crotch of my jeans. At her command, I re-stuck it back on, this time on my chest. Riley led me up the stairs (I bitched when she passed the elevators, only to find that she had some weird fear of elevators.), and to the second floor.

"Here we are," She told me when we had reached the door. We both stopped as she gave me a trying look. "Look, his mom and dad are in there so...so, you know."

I crossed my arms. "No, I don't think I do know. What are you saying?" I knew fully well what she had meant, but I liked to see her get frustrated. It was unexpectedly sexy when she got all uptight.

She put a finger on my name tag. "What's this say?"

"...John Bender?" I asked in confusion.

"Right, you're name tag says 'John Bender'. So act like John Bender. It doesn't say 'Ass', so don't act like an ass."

I chuckled sarcastically, enjoying her wryness and followed her into the hospital room. Brian was lying in the bed with an IV on the back of his hand and surrounded by flower assortments. He was awake and reading his algebra book in the light of the lamp above his bed. He seemed pretty healthy except for the bandage on the crown of his head.

When he saw us enter the room, his books slid out of his hands and a speechless look wiped over his face. I fought back the urge to laugh and thought of the incident on Saturday. My need to smile went away as I remembered watching his neck snap back and forth when he was forced against the sidewalk.

Riley smiled at him, sounding a little shy now. "Hi Brian."

Brian, who was now grinning weakly, replied, "Uh, hi...Bender," He paused for my attention. "You okay, man?"

He seemed truly genuine in his question. I couldn't believe it. After all I had put the little nerd through, yet he still asked me if I was okay. I displayed the stitches on the side of my face.

"Do I look okay, Brain Drain?" I asked in that rebel tone that I usually spoke with. Riley gave me an exasperated look, so I added to Brian, "Just a few stitches...BFD."

"What we really want to know is how you're doing, Brian." began Riley in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Brian shrugged and looked out the window for a second. "Nothing big. I'll be back next week. It could've been worse. I only remember bits and pieces though. It's a good thing you came here, I really want to know what went on."

Damn, damn, damn! I didn't want to have to explain what had happened. Riley hadn't been there the whole time, so I would have to tell him everything. Brian spoke up again.

"I remember walking my bike onto the sidewalk, and then I saw Rip and you talking...then he came over and that's all."

Riley nudged me in the side with her elbow, prodding me on. I gave her an annoyed look. The girl was on my mind constantly, but she could be a little bothersome sometimes. I rolled my eyes at her and shoved my hands in my pockets,

"Uh...Rip wanted your bike and all...and you smarted off at him. So he started beating on you, and then he slammed your head against the sidewalk. And...I kinda got into a little tiff with the guy."

It was quiet when I looked back up, and Brian seemed perfectly content. No emotions had changed. He only smiled.

"Thanks, Bender."

"No prob, Dweeb."

We talked for only about ten more minutes before Brian's mom, a woman who just reeked of fun-killing, kicked us out, claiming that Brian had homework to do. As we left, Riley and I discussed the matter.

"Seriously, the woman has to be a major bitch." I said once we had gotten out of the hospital and into the parking lot. "The kid just got beat up by the biggest thug in all of Illinois, next to me, and she expects him to do homework? Crazy bitch."

Riley laughed, and before I knew it, we were at her little red car again. She leaned against the door with her arms crossed, staring at me. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

"I gotta go."

She gave me a half-smile and nodded her head towards the car. "Please, let me give you a ride. It's dark out-,"

"It's four-thirty, the sun's still out." I replied with amusement, looking towards the bright sun.

She went on, "–and I won't take no for an answer. It gets lonely driving by yourself."

I shook my head, saying, "No, I can't.", but I when I saw the look of disappointment on her face, my gut wrenched. If I was starting to like this girl (of course, it wasn't a definite), why wasn't I joining her? For all I know, we might just get a little crazy in the backseat if the mood is right.

For some reason, though, I didn't really want to use her just for sex. That really blew me away. I didn't really believe in love, or so I thought before. But this wasn't love. Hell, it wasn't even close to love! It was barely even a crush.

I looked into her brown eyes, groaned, and muttered out, "Fine." Riley smiled warmly and got into her seat. I walked around to the other side, knowing that this would be an interesting trip.


	9. Mood Ring

"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Riley asked as we pulled onto the highway, her hand ready to turn the dial.

"As long as it isn't any of that pop shit, go ahead." I replied and leaned back in the seat.

She reached over and turned the dial to a station that was playing Motley Crue. She smiled and bobbed her head to the music when I noticed that she was wearing a mood ring on her right hand. It was a deep shade of green that was slowly changing to dark blue.

"Why do you wear that thing?"

"What thing?" Riley asked in curiosity. Her eyes fell on her hand. "Oh, the ring?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's a lie on a cheap tin band." I had never really believed in those dumb things. They were pointless. Of course, in my mind, a lot of things were pointless. But Riley just shrugged.

"I dunno...it was a gift."

"A _gift_? Someone _actually_ got you that as a _gift_?" I questioned in disbelief, narrowing my eyes at her. Those things were cheaper than dirt! Who would have the nerve to buy someone like her (I wonder what I meant by 'someone like her'...) a shitty gift like that?

She cleared her throat and threw me a glance. "I got it from an old friend. He told me that it would help me deal with...with home." I noticed that she was now playing with the ring between her fingers, almost nervously. I had a feeling that I may have touched a nerve. I listened to her go on.

"See, I'd get really depressed whenever something would break out at home. So depressed that I wouldn't wake up for school in the mornings. Sometimes I wouldn't even want to wake up. Anyway, my friend could tell when I was going through something bad. He called them my black days. So one day, we went out for ice cream and he gave me the ring.

"Then he gave me the little paper that tells you what the colors of the ring mean and asked me what color I disliked the most. I said black. Black represented bad emotions. So he put the ring on my finger and told me that whenever the ring was black, he didn't like wearing it because it was such an ugly color. So the ring would remind him of how much he hated feeling so horrible, and he would fill his day with positive things."

I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, crossing my arms. Riley saw me do this and began to blush.

"How touching. You know, you should really sew that onto a pillow. It would make a fortune." I stated, forgetting that I was sitting in the car of the girl who I might have a crush on. I looked over at her and saw that she was now frowning at me.

She sighed and shook her head. "What I was thinking...," She whispered as she stopped at a red light.

"Look, to you it might be a big deal, and that's o-fucking-kay with me. But I don't need some damn piece of tin to tell me how I'm feeling. That's what a brain is for, and believe or not, I do have one."

Riley turned another corner and said, "Well, its nice to know that I can talk to you about things, John. God, I thought you of all people would understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, my fury rising with each word. "You don't even know anything about me! I never told you about my home life, did I?"

Riley made a 'tsk' noise with her tongue and looked at me with disappointment.

"C'mon, Bender, I'm not that unsocial. People have told me about you plenty of times. Do you know that the nurse in the Sign-In line at the hospital told me that I should stay away from you?" She responded with a slight sadness. "And I ignored her!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

She sighed and pulled the car to the side of the road. Her head was hung like she was ashamed of what she would say. Then, she gave me a genuine look through her beautiful brown eyes.

"Because I like you." She told me quietly. Quickly, she retorted. She must have regretted her words because she shook her head again. "Not _like_ like. As a friend."

Not really knowing what to say and feeling a little let down, I looked up and saw that we were on the corner of Payne Road and Smith Lane. My house was a block away, ironically, so I put my hand on the door handle.

"Look, I don't like being lied to. No one in their right mind would want to be my friend. At least, someone like you." I told her as I opened the door, and she gave me a funny look.

Eyebrows furrowed, she asked, "Someone like me?"

"Yeah," I closed the door, knelt down, and stuck my face in the open window. "That whole renegade bitch thing is just as phony as that mood ring."

She turned the key and the car started. We were quiet for what seemed like forever before she spoke up again, running a hand through her long hair.

"I'm going to visit Brian tomorrow." She declared and waited for an answer from me. When I realized she wanted my response, I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? You waiting for my approval? You're a big girl, Riley, you don't need me." After I had finished with my remark, I began to walk down the road. "Besides, you should stay away from me, right?"

But as she drove away, I heard her say something to me that I never would have expected to hear so soon. She drove ahead of me, stopped at the stop sign, and stuck her head out the window.

"Maybe I don't want to stay away from you." She said in a barely audible voice. Then she drove away down the road. I kept thinking about what she had said over and over as I walked home. Perhaps I had heard wrong...no. No, she definitely said that. I sighed and pulled out a cigarette. What was her deal? Did she like me, or didn't she?

I hadn't seen Riley at all the next day of school. I figured she was upset with me for being such an ass the day before. I did regret acting like that, but I didn't let it get me down. She'd come crawling back sooner or later...hopefully.

Right now the school was in a huge uproar over the biggest event as Shermer High: Homecoming. Everywhere I went, I heard giddy girls gushing about how romantic the night would be and hopeful guys going on about how their dates would put out. I didn't really think that Homecoming was stupid, but I was the last person at Shermer to even think about going. The point was that no matter where I went, I couldn't escape the talk of the dance.

When I finally thought that I was free of the subject as I walked down to my locker, I was shocked to find that a certain redhead leaning against the door. She was wearing a blue V-neck blouse with a jean skirt and white leggings. Her hair was pulled back with a blue headband, showing off her milky-colored skin and pink cheeks. I crossed my arms when I reached her and leaned against the lockers.

"Either you–," I began before she interrupted me.

"Don't get cocky, John." Claire said in a strangled voice. "Andy went to the hospital yesterday."

I paused. First Brian, now Sporto? Who would be the next Breakfast Clubber to be knocked off? Claire sniffled and turned her head down the hall, away from me. She probably didn't want me to see her cry, though I found that pointless. After all, she had bawled more than once at detention.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked quietly.

Claire put a manicured hand to the bridge of her nose and stifled another cry, and after taking a few deep breaths, she looked at me through teary eyes and said, "Oh God...John, they said he was experimenting with steroids."

This surprised me even more than Claire showing up at my locker. Andy was a great athlete without steroids. Why would he use them when he was so good already? This had to deal with pressure somehow.

Claire cried harder this time. "I feel so horrible, John...I didn't even go see Brian...Do you know why? Because I...I had to give my speech for Homecoming...,"

My blood boiled. No matter what Claire did, no matter how hard she cried, there was always a part of her that would piss me off. She cared more about being fucking Homecoming Queen than Brian. Even I went to go see him. But she was sobbing, and I didn't stop her from falling into my arms. Her chest heaved up and down on mine.

"Go with me to see them." She whispered. "Please. Tonight."


	10. Reunion

Claire and I drove to the hospital in her white BMW. It reeked of expensiveness. The seats were a beige leather, and the backseat was spacious. It smelled like some girly perfume that Claire always wore, and her 8-Track had an amazing stereo system.

"Do you think he hates me?" Claire asked me out of the blue.

"Who?"

"Brian."

'Why would he hate you?"

"Because I didn't visit him."

I sighed, rolling my eyes at her comment. How could anyone _really_ hate the popular, beautiful Claire Standish? Sure, there were probably people who envied her with a passion, but no one hated her. She was just too appealing to hate.

"He doesn't hate you, Claire." I replied, suddenly remembering the basket Brian had claimed was from her. "He kept going on about that basket you sent him."

She looked over at me, shrugged, and said, "I...I had to at least do something nice for him."

There was another bout of uncomfortable silence.

"What happened that night, John, wasn't a mistake."

As much as I didn't want to know what she meant, I knew fully. She was talking about the night in the car. And I _really_ didn't want to get hooked onto that subject.

"Yeah, okay. Let's just get to the hospital already. You drive like an old woman, Grandma." I told her as we drove down the highway. She gave me a pissed off glare and sped up a little in spite of my comment.

Once we arrived at the hospital and walked into the lobby, I noticed that there was a truckload of people sitting and waiting inside. They all looked tired and bored, some were even sleeping on the shoulder of a friend. My eyes drifted towards two people sitting in the corner holding hands, whom I recognized to be the varsity quarterback, JC Neil, and his girlfriend. Then it hit me. And then it hit Claire.

To Claire's absolute horror, we both realized that almost 3/4 of the lobby was filled with students from Shermer High. Her eyes got big as she looked around the room, and she looked up at me nervously. Deciding to be generous today, I whispered out of the side of my mouth, "I'll sign us in. Just sit down and ignore them."

She had already walked off before I finished talking, but she nodded at me in an understanding way and took a seat by the magazine rack. I shook my head and got in line for what seemed like years. I noticed that Claire was now talking to some guy from the wrestling team, flirting like only she could. She'd bite her full lower lip, smooth out her skirt, and would shake her fiery red curls every time she'd giggle. I knew those tricks because I had fallen for them like every other guy at Shermer.

"Can I help you?" A nasally voice asked me, signaling that I was finally at the Sign-In Desk. The nurse who I was facing was inexcusably ugly with graying hair pulled into a long braid that trailed along her back and a pointed nose that made mine look like a button.

She grimaced at me and repeated, "Can I help you, Mr. Bender?"

"No, ma'am, I think the question is can I help you." I said in a smarmy tone. This was the nurse that had told Riley to stay away from me, so naturally I couldn't resist giving her a rough time. "And the answer is no, I'm afraid. Not even an iron could straighten out those wrinkles on your face."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed at me. "You see here, Mr. Bender. I'm going to let that one slide. If it hadn't been for me and Dr. Mayle, your mother would probably still be in a coma. I'd show some respect, if I were you."

"Well if you were me, you wouldn't looked like a raisin, would you?"

The old nurse shook her head and handed me two name tags and a pen. "I suppose you're here to see that wrestler Clark, eh? Well, you'll have to wait. There's been so many kids coming in that there's some who've been waiting here for three hours."

I didn't want to wait that long, and I'm sure Claire didn't either, so I replied, "We're here to see Brian Johnson."

"Fine then. Room 902B." She said in a grumpy voice. "Now get out of my face, Mr. Bender. Next!"

I walked away towards Claire, who was now flirting with two guys who were both on the swim team. She ignored me when she saw me, which made me in an even worse mood. I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up and out of the lobby. She gasped at my actions.

"What was that all about?" She asked me as I shoved the name tag towards her.

"Let's just go, okay? I told the lady we were going to see Brian so we wouldn't have to wait to see Sporto."

She said nothing, but followed me with a loathing look on her face. I didn't know where Andy's room was, so I asked a doctor who passed us by. He told us where to find him on the first floor. We found the room after about another three minutes.

The door was closed, so Claire knocked softly. No one answered. She knocked again, peered through a sliver of an opening, and opened the door to see Andy lying under the sheets with Allison straddling him while they kissed. Andy's eyes opened to see us standing there. He pulled away from Allison and cleared his throat.

"Uh...h-hey guys...," He stammered as Allison turned around to look at us with a smile on her face, not one trace of embarrassment or guilt. She didn't look as dark as she had when we had first met, but she wasn't exactly Claire's makeover model either. Her dark brown hair was combed to the side, showing her slightly made up face. Her eyes wore a peach eyeshadow and she had brown eyeliner on. She wore Brian's letterman jacket over a black tee-shirt, a gray skirt, fishnet stockings, and her black Converse shoes.

"Hi," She said in her soft voice, slipping off the bed to stand beside Andy. Claire grinned and walked into the room, going over to give Andy a kiss on the cheek. As I came in and closed the door behind me, Claire spoke up.

"Andy, are you okay?" She asked concernedly.

I crossed my arms and sat in the chair next to where Allison stood. "Well, after what we walked in on, I'm pretty sure he's fine." Allison gave off a giggle, causing me to smile. I hadn't heard that laugh in ages. It reminded me of good times.

Andy just shrugged and shifted in his bed, saying, "It was nothing. I just had a seizure." He put an arm around Allison, who was now sitting on the bed with him. "My dad and I were practicing some techniques–wrestling techniques–and I hit my head on the floor. Then I just started twitching and stuff."

Claire raised a perfect eyebrow. "But I heard something about steroids."

"Well, that's a whole other story. My father used them when he was in school. He was a wrestler and all. He had an incident with them back then, and I guess they figured it was my downfall too." Andy replied, not looking at any of us in shame.

We were all quiet for a moment, Claire looked over at Allison with a slight smile.

"So when did you get here, Allison? Did your parents drive you here?" She asked.

Allison shook her head. "I don't live with my parents anymore." She said, tracing Andy's arm with her fingers. "My aunt and uncle took custody of me. They live in this nice little town outside of Cleveland. So Andy called me yesterday, and my uncle drove me down here."

She planted a kiss on the top of Andy's head, then rested her head on his shoulder. He put his hand on top of hers. I still couldn't believe how two people so different could be so made for each other. But I was happy for Allison.

"Staying out of detention down there?" I mused with a look of amusement on my face. Allison grinned and nodded.

"Yeah...and I have friends, too." She added, pausing when she saw our pitying looks. Then she bowed her head. "They aren't like you guys, but they'll do for now."

There was another knock at the door. When Andy told them to come in, the door opened and it was Brian in a wheelchair. He smiled at us with that goofy grin.

"What's this? The Breakfast Club reunion?" He asked us. Everyone laughed and began to talk, welcoming Brian into the room. He stayed by the door, so Andy said, "Hey man, get in here. The only thing that's contagious is your smile."

Brian nodded, turned around, and looked out the doorway. He was whispering something to someone outside the room. I decided to take matters into my own hands and walked over to wheel him closer to the bed when I saw a familiar brunette standing outside the door.

"Why is it that whenever I'm at this hospital, you are too?" I asked Riley as she looked up at me. She smiled and shook her head.

"I need to go." She said, turning to go down the hallway. "I'll see you later."

Brian called to her, "Wait, Riley. I want the others to meet you. This...is sort of a big deal for me." I stared at both of them confusedly, wondering what the geek had meant. Riley cast me an apologetic look.

"Brian, why don't you just tell them? I need to get back home."

"Please?"

With a sigh, Riley walked back to Brian looking slightly remorseful. I opened the door for the both of them. Riley wheeled him in and set him in front of Andy's bed. She looked a little shy as everyone looked at her.

"Guys, this is Riley." Brian introduced. Everyone greeted her warmly with smiles and hellos, but she still looked shameful. "She's going to come with me to Homecoming."

My eyes widened and my mouth opened up a bit in shock. Riley looked back at me regretfully. Now I knew why she seemed so hesitant to come into the room. I was the only one with the shocked look on my face, whereas everyone else was congratulating Brian on his date.

I felt a burning jealousy in the pit of my stomach. It overwhelmed me so much that I leaned back on the wall with my arms crossed in envy. While everyone talked about the topic of Brian and Riley, I watched the floor sullenly and cursed myself for being such a loser.


	11. The Cold Shoulder

A.N.

Okay, this chapter was purposely slightly boring. The next chapter is going to be my favorite, probably, and I cannot wait to submit it! I haven't had many new reviews, so I hope my little story isn't getting too boring or anything! Leave me some thoughts, please! Luv yah 3 Carlee

"Did he rent a limo or is his mommy gonna drive you two?"

Riley ignored me as we walked out of the hospital, Claire and Brian behind us. I had been teasing her the whole time we had left Andy's room, and she was on the brink of snapping at me. In fact, a part of me wanted her to get all bent out of shape just so I could see how sexy she looked when she was pissed off.

"Picture it, babe. You and Brainy arrive at the school, you wearing some sexy red number and him wearing a frilly blue tux. Oh, but he's wearing a pair of his own shoes because his mommy doesn't like it when he wears other people's shoes. Right, Big Bri?"

Brian's face turned a light shade of pink. He had been gushing over Riley the whole time we were in the room, but now when he was around me, he was quiet and embarrassed. I didn't blame him, though. I'd been poking fun at him the whole time.

I put an arm around Riley's shoulders, and I felt her tense up. She glanced at me quickly, her face also slightly pink. "Let's continue, shall we? You walk into the gym, arm in arm. You hear a slow song playing so he leads you out on the dance floor. His hands on your hips...your arms slung around his neck...your head on his chest...,"

"_John_," Claire murmured pleadingly. She knew what I was up to. I had done this to her before, and it just left her annoyed and confused. But I was angry, damn it, and I was not going to quit just yet.

I stared hard at Riley, making her uncomfortable. "...you look into his eyes...he gazes at your lips longingly...you lean in...so does he...your kiss starts out sweet and innocent...then he slips his tongue in your mouth–,"

"Fuck off, John! If you're trying to make me miserable, you're going to have a hard time because I'm glad Brian asked me to Homecoming!" She finally shouted at me with surprising volume. A few of the nurses looked over at us suspiciously.

She yanked away from my grasp and glared at me. "Yeah, I'm GLAD he asked me! Otherwise no one would have asked me! I think you're just jealous! But it's not like I'd expect you to ask me anywhere!"

Claire and Brian just watched as Riley and I fought. People had started coming out of their rooms and standing in the doorways to find out what was disturbing them.

"You're absolutely fucking right!" I yelled back at her, not caring that everyone was watching in disapproval. "I wouldn't have asked you! And don't you dare think that I'm jealous of Brian! He gets to deal with your sorry ass the whole night!"

Riley gritted her teeth and groaned at me, then took off down the hall in a fast walk. In no less than a minute, a doctor had tapped on my shoulder to tell me to leave. Before he could say anything, I had already walked off in the same direction to leave.

Once I had gotten home, climbed up onto the patio roof, crawled through the bathroom window, and snuck up into the attic, I fell on my bed and tried to let my anger cool off. I wished now that I hadn't given Riley such a hard time about Brian, and I realized that maybe I was jealous. But that didn't stop me from being pissed off. I wouldn't have asked her anyway. Who would expect me to go to a dance? It would have been much easier to deal with if Brian hadn't asked her at all. Then maybe she wouldn't have a date at all.

The more I thought about it, I guess I knew that Riley wouldn't do anything serious with Brian. She was probably just going with him as friends. I tried to convince myself of that, but it lingered in the back of my mind the whole time.

So now it was official. I did like her. A lot. And now she was stuck in my mind. I liked the way she looked at me, even when she was mad. I liked her laugh, her hair, her attitude. I even liked her dumb little mood ring. She probably hated me, but she would get over it eventually, just like she did with everything else. Her little comment as she drove away the other day proved that we might actually have some hope.

I rolled over in my bed and buried my face into my pillow. I wanted just to redo what had happened and maybe ask Riley out on a date. That would have been just fine to deal with. I wanted to picture myself with her the way I had described her night with Brian. I wanted her arms around _my_ neck. I wanted her head on _my _chest. And I wanted to kiss her again.

The next few days were unbearably boring. I had nothing to do at all. I didn't even feel like causing chaos at school. There wasn't really much trouble to cause anymore. I think I might have already done all the trouble that could be caused. Put itching powder in the cafeteria ladies's gloves, graffiti on Vernon's office door, glue Mr. Marshall's hairpiece to his head...it had all been done.

When I would finally be in a class with Riley, she'd just ignore me like I wasn't there. Her friends would comment about how much I was staring at her lately, but she would say something like I wasn't looking at her but one of them, or that I was trying to be annoying. That's when I began to think that maybe she wasn't going to get over it this time.

The more she ignored me, the more I found myself looking at her, and the more I found her more attractive and unattainable. I felt so different from usual. She was driving me absolutely crazy!

One day I was walking down the hallway and saw her at her locker. I decided that maybe if I would approach her, she would actually talk to me and then I wouldn't need this strange addiction anymore.

"What's your deal?" I asked her. Dumb question.

She just stared at me in amazement, closed her locker door, and walked away. I slammed my fist against the lockers and shouted, "Mother fucker!" in frustration. I wanted to get her out of my head, out of my life. I had never felt like this about any chick, and it was the best and worst feeling in the world. Not caring who saw me, I pulled out a smoke, lit it up, and took a long drag on it. Then I tore off a Homecoming poster as I left the school.


	12. Basketcase Therapy

School now consisted of Riley ignoring me. Whenever she'd see me, whether I was walking down the hall or sitting in class, she'd glance at me, then turn away. I wasn't usually bothered by this, but for some reason it really grated on my nerves when it was her ignoring me. I wished I could go back to the things I knew before Riley: sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.

So the day had come. The damn day of the damn dance. Damn. She'd be with the Geek Overlord, dancing the night away. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against Brian. But I wanted Riley to have the worst time possible. I wanted her to realize that maybe she could've had a better time with me.

Then again...she had no idea that I liked her.

I decided to go visit Andy and Allison to take my mind off of everything. Instead of dealing with that bitchy nurse, I snuck through the basement of the hospital with an old sticker with my name on it stuck to my shirt. No one thought twice about it, which made me question how smart these doctors really were.

Andy's door was open, so I walked in nonchalantly only to see Andy and Allison making out again. I cleared my throat to acknowledge my presence, and Andy fell back on his pillow in frustration and embarrassment.

"God, Bender, can't you ever knock?" He asked in exasperation as Allison gave me another simple, child-like smile. She slid off of Andy, crawled beside him, and snuggled up to him as he put his arm around her.

She frowned when she saw my weary, jaded facial expression and said, "You seem tense."

"No shit, I'm tense." I muttered, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. "I'm going fucking crazy."

Andy gave off a look of confusion, whereas Allison seemed concerned. I expected her to understand the whole 'crazy' feeling. Let's just face it, she's about as normal as a guy with three arms.

"What's your beef?" asked Sporto, who was now stroking Allison's dark hair with his fingers. "Family, school..?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Amazingly, it has nothing to do with that."

"Is it the girl who Brian's going to Homecoming with?"

I looked up at Allison in stupor, stunned that she knew. I hadn't even told anyone that I liked Riley. How could she know about it? Before I got too ahead of myself, I reminded myself that it was Allison. Enough said.

"What makes you think that?" I asked casually, thinking maybe she wouldn't catch on to my little secret.

She had a knowing smirk on her pale face. Her brown eyes glittered as she replied with, "You like her." She sat up, still holding onto Andy's hand, and went on. "When Brian told us about her, you were sulking in the corner."

Praying that maybe there was some hope that my secret wouldn't be let out, I glowered at her. "Just because I was sulking means I like her?"

Allison let out a tiny giggle from her throat and nodded. "You looked very jealous, John." Now Andy sat up and put an arm around Allison's waist.

"You did looked pretty pissed, man."

"What, like I need therapy from the beefy wrestler and his loony bin girlfriend?" I said in a tone that I didn't recognize. I had sounded small and quiet, hopeless. That was new to me, and apparently to Sporto and Allison too. They both were quiet, then Allison got off the bed and walked over to me.

Kneeling in front of me, she asked, "Did you tell her that you like her?"

I leaned back in the chair and rubbed the bridge of my nose with my pointer finger and thumb, closing my eyes. "Would I feel this shitty if I did?"

When I opened my eyes, Allison was staring at me with the most serious face in the world. She really seemed to care about my situation. I couldn't help but feel glad that I had an understanding with her. The next thing I knew, she had my hand in hers.

"How much do you like her?" She asked.

"Aw, fuck...I dunno...a lot, I guess."

She cocked her head to the side, rolled her eyes, and said, "You don't deserve her if you 'dunno, a lot, I guess' like her. You need to 'know-more than anything' like her if you want her."

After she had said that, I sighed and smiled at her with a surrendering simper. She was right. If I wanted Riley to like me, I couldn't just act all badass about her. I had to treat her the way I felt about her.

I stopped myself from becoming too lovey-dovey, and said, "Okay, so I like her more than anything. How's that supposed to win her over?"

"Go to the Homecoming Dance and tell her." Andy piped up, sounding almost excited and proud of himself. When he saw the look of uttermost disgust on my face, he cleared his throat, frowned at his lack of masculinity, and said, "Rescue her, I mean."

Allison grinned lovingly at her boyfriend and walked over to him. "You're so cute." She told him, leaning in for a peck on his lips. As weird as it sounded, they were made for each other. You could see it every time they'd look at each other–whoa, I really have to stop thinking like a pansy.

I stood up, ready to go, when the door opened and Claire walked in. Her eyes fell on me, then on Allison, and she smiled. She was wearing a lacy pink and white Homecoming dress with various strands of pearls around her neck. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Looks like the Princess decided to take on her title literally." I stated, giving her a sly half-smile. She rolled her eyes in slight amusement, and spun around for Allison. Her eyes looked hopeful as she asked, "How does it look?"

Allison was smiling brightly at the beautiful gown as she replied, "You look like John said. Just like a princess. Thanks for stopping by so we could see the dress."

With a pleased look on her face, Claire smiled and took something out of the little white purse she as carrying. I discovered that it was a little makeup bag with brown eyeliner and pink eyeshadow inside. She walked over to Allison and gave it to her with a sheepish smile.

"It's a parting gift." She said softly, sounding a bit choked up. "It's so that you can remember me...and not to use that black shit."

We all laughed a little at that. A tear rolled down Claire's cheek as she and Allison hugged each other. She stifled a cry, probably hoping her makeup wouldn't run.

"Come back here soon, okay?" She asked in a strangled voice. "We're all gonna miss you."

Allison nodded. "I promise I will."

Claire gave Andy a kiss on the cheek and was about to leave when Allison spoke up just as Claire had her hand on the door.

"Wait, Claire."

Giving me a quick glance, Allison gestured over at me and said, "Take John with you. He's got something to take care of at the school."

Claire looked confused, but waited as I walked over and gave Allison a goodbye hug. We said our goodbyes, then left to Claire's limo. She seemed a little discouraged about me coming with her. There was no doubt in my mind that some of her richie friends were waiting in there for her.

"So...why are you going to the dance?" She asked me in the elevator curiously.

The look on my face was hard to interpret. I was excited to see Riley, nervous about what I would tell her, scared if she would decline, and a little psyched to be riding in a limo. What? A guy can't have a little bit of excitement over something like that?

"Well?"

I walked out of the elevator once it had reached the lobby floor and glanced back at Claire only once, hoping to stay calm. I didn't want to seem nervous either. When I didn't reply, she just groaned and led me out to her disgustingly glamorous limo.


	13. Limo Ride and Pride

The limousine was a giant white one with the phrase 'Homecoming '85' painted on the back window. I could see the driver in front, sporting the look of someone who's having a headache. I could tell why. We were probably twenty feet away from the limo, and surprisingly could hear everything going on in there. Squeals, laughing, shrieks of excitement. If I had been the driver, I would've wrecked the car on purpose.

"My friends are in there," Claire began, giving me a worried, sideways glance. "So...don't act like an ass."

Why everyone had to tell me that before I was involved in anything social, I still had no clue. Well...okay, so maybe I did know why they said that. To put it simply, I was an ass. A total, 100 ass. So sue me.

But I had other things on my mind, so instead of snapping back with a witty comment, I muttered, "Yeah, yeah. Just get me to the dance."

Before we got inside the limo, Claire paused in front of the door and seemed to take a deep breath. Then she turned around with a pathetically apologetic smile on her face, and pushed out her bottom lip.

"John...,"

Not being in the mood to argue, I obeyed Claire's dumb request that I would sit in the front seat with the driver. She insisted that it would ensure that none of her friends would be intimidated, but I knew much better than that. I like how Claire acts like I'm stupid.

The driver raised an eyebrow when he saw me get in, then turned back to the backseat and said into a little window, "Miss Standish, I hope you realize that another passenger is another $100."

"Yes, Roberto. I understand." I heard Claire say back over the gaggle of her friends in the back. Settling into the seat, I couldn't help but hear one of the girls ask who the other rider was, and Claire telling them it was no one.

"Roberto, roll down the window!" Another girl shouted through the window. Then she added, "Please!" More giggles erupted from behind me.

The driver did as told, muttering curses under his breath, and the window went down. I could already picture the look of sheer embarrassment, disgrace, and horror on Claire's face. As the window disappeared, the girls' faces were bearing surprised grins. It was quiet for a moment, even Roberto the driver was watching in anticipated wonder.

To loosen the tension, I gave the chicks a rebellious sneer and asked, "What, you three never seen a dude before?"

They all giggled, Claire being the exception. To my surprise, the blonde girl with green eyes stared at me ponderously, smiling as she narrowed her eyes. Then, she pointed a finger at me accusingly.

"Aren't you John Bender?" She asked in an irritating bubbly voice.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?"

A girl with wavy short black hair scanned over me and said, "You're the one Claire went with for awhile, aren't you? See, now she told us about you, but we thought she was just asking for attention." She looked to Claire with a sorry grin. "Oh, Claire, we're sorry for not believing you."

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Claire?" asked the blonde with a flirtatious flip of her hair.

Claire looked at me, seemingly confused that her friends weren't scared or ashamed of me, and said in a strangled voice, "Uh, er...John, these are my friends."

The blonde held out her hand, which I didn't bother to shake (She found this amusing and giggled even more, for some odd reason.), and replied, "I'm Lyndee Fairhope."

"Daphne Watercress." Said the petite black-haired one. Then, I realized that there was a girl sitting by the window opposite Claire who was looking sulky and wary towards me. When I looked at her, she tried not to stare me straight in the eye. She had curly auburn hair and large, owl-like blue eyes.

"Who're you?" I asked her, causing her to twitch in a startled fear.

Claire looked over at her, rolled her eyes, and said, "That's Chandra. Speaking of which, Chan, what's your deal?"

Chandra looked over at Claire and her friends in absolute fright. Then her face fell and she gave them a grave look.

"I _cannot_ believe you, Claire!" She muttered in a small voice. That girl reminded me of a Chihuahua, shaky and small. "_He _is a bad influence! _He's_ into drugs! _He's _a delinquent! _He's_–,"

"My friend." Claire told her defiantly with a frown. "_He's_ my friend, Chandra, and _he_ has a name."

Claire was becoming more likable than ever in my eyes. She was actually sticking up for me to her richie friends. She had even told them about our brief affair. And the other two didn't have any objections against it.

Chandra crossed her arms. "Claire, what is everyone going to think when you get out of this limo with _him_? Think about J.B.!"

"J.B. isn't going to care, and if he does, then he'll have to deal with it!" Claire told her friend in an angry voice. "And I don't care what anyone thinks! So just leave John alone!"

I felt like giving Claire the award for 'Best Badass Moment'. I couldn't help but try to contain my smile. She was being the coolest ever. It made me remember that spark of chemistry between us that we had felt before. After Chandra leaned back and stared out the window poutingly, I saw Claire smile at me in pride. So I smiled back, the girls giggling in the background.


	14. You're Beautiful

We got to the school about twenty minutes later. Claire and her friends were all a little pissed off that the limo had run out of gas about halfway there. Chandra had become so irritable and annoying that everyone forced her to switch places with me and sit in the front seat with the driver. Her face was absolutely priceless. The other two girls were amazingly comfortable around me. So comfortable that they were occasionally brush their arm against mine, bat their eyelashes, giggle, and make up excuses to talk to me. If I am not mistaken, in some places that would be considered flirting. They were fraternizing with the enemy! HAHA.

Once the driver had stopped the car in front of the school, the friendly openness towards myself had leveled down a little. Each of the girls, Claire once again being the exception, looked out the window and saw the many students getting out of their cars and into the school. They quieted down and said goodbye to me as they all filed out of the limo. Chandra gave me a dirty glare and slammed the door on me.

I had decided that sitting in the limo until Claire and her posse were inside the school would be best for myself as well as Claire. So I leaned back in the seat with my hands behind my head and waited.

"John," Claire said, popping her head into the open door of the limo. She gave me a tender look, the one that I had grown to love, and smiled kindly at me. "Good luck tonight...with whatever you're here for."

I managed a weak grin and replied, "Yeah, thanks for the ride. Have fun and, uh, be sure to acknowledge me in your acceptance speech as Homecoming Queen. I'd wish you luck, but I highly doubt that you need it."

She rolled her eyes and leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. After that, she went to leave but stopped and turned back to me with a confused look.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked me. When she realized that I didn't want to embarrass her by being seen with her, she groaned and grabbed my forearm to pull me out of the limo. "C'mon, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks."

We both got out and walked to the sidewalk in front of the school, the same sidewalk where I had saved Brian's life. Saying it like that made it seem so much more...more significant. It made me kind of proud.

And everyone saw us. Claire Standish and John Bender walking together. I heard whispers from people passing us and saw the most shocked and dirty looks on their faces. For the first time in my life, I didn't expect Claire to get all conscious of this matter. And she didn't. She just smiled and ignored their looks.

Before we reached the stairs to the entrance of Shermer High, I stopped Claire and said, "I better wait here."

"Oh John, how many times have I told you? I'm not embarr–,"

I interrupted her. "It's not that. Just...if you see Riley in there, tell her I'm waiting for her."

Claire bit her lip to suppress a smile and nodded. "Alright. See you around." She gave me another kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye and making her way up the stairs. Once she was inside the building, I saw a flock of girls surround her in admiration.

I grinned slightly, shaking my head, and sat down on the sidewalk with my arms draped over my knees. My head was filled with thoughts, wondering what would happen with Riley tonight. Would she say yes? Would she ignore me? Would she even come out? Wait–what was I going to say to her? My heart was beating about two million beats per second, and time seemed to take forever.

About a half an hour later, I heard a familiar voice coming from the entry doors. I turned my head and saw Brian, wearing a nice suit that was not frilly or blue, walking quickly out of the school. His eyes fell on me, then he started to walk down the stairs. It was like he knew something I didn't.

"Please hurry, I don't think I'm going to make it home!" He shouted to someone inside the school. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

He gave me another anxious look. What was his deal?

" Brian, I'm coming as fast as I can! Get in the car okay? Damn these fucking heels!"

It was the voice that I currently loved and feared. When I looked at the doors, I saw her hopping down the hall on one foot, struggling to take off her high heel shoes. I couldn't really see her all that well, due to the darkness of the unused hallway, but I saw her figure keel over with a loud, "UGH."

After a second, she got up and threw open the doors to see Brian just sitting on the railing of steps. She raised an eyebrow and dropped her mouth open in angry confusion, ready to shout the most horrible of obscenities when Brian merely pointed over in my direction.

She looked over at me with those brown eyes. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She didn't look anything like Claire's little friends, and that's what appealed to me most. Her hair was curled into spirals and resting on her shoulder. It was a little messy from her fall in the hallway, but it only made her look more adorable. She was wearing a jade green dress that was simple and flaunted her chest, and she wore the slightest bit of makeup that played up her dark, dramatic features.

I ogled her for a minute, then watched as she crossed her arms and looked at the ground. I didn't know if she was acting embarrassed, ashamed, angry, or maybe a combination of all three.

"Brian." She whispered in a small voice. It had came out as a statement, not a whine or a disgruntled threat. Just a simple statement. Seeing her so beautiful and disoriented made me crazy, so I walked over to her without hesitation. She didn't look up at me as she said, "Hi,".

I don't know what was going on inside me, and I can't really explain how I felt. The closest thing I can relate it to is like when you shake up a soda bottle and open it up so that the fizz explodes everywhere. That was how I felt.

Putting my fingers under her chin, I tipped her face up towards me and saw her cheeks blazing a scarlet color. She tried to look away, but found herself staring back at me. I smirked and cocked my head. "Are we blushing because we're embarrassed or blushing because we're trying to hide something?"

She smiled. Yes, that was good! I wanted her to smile. I wanted to see her smile so badly. She wasn't as tense as before, although she still seemed a little reluctant to be near me. I kept one hand cradling her chin and shoved the other one in my jeans pocket. It was now or never.

"Let's just get this straight." I said to her. "I think I might like you."

After I had finished speaking, I realized what Allison had said about thinking you like someone versus knowing you like someone. Before Riley could speak, I shook my head and looked up at the sky. "Uh, scratch that. I _know_ I like you. I mean, I do."

I looked back at her and saw that she was smiling a little more at me. She looked down at the ground, then back up at me, and said, "John...,"

And then I kissed her. It wasn't anything disgusting or way long. It was just a perfect, simple little open-mouthed kiss. It was just...wow. That's all I could think of to say about it. No words could describe it better.

She pulled away, bit her lip, and grabbed my hand. And giving me a sly smile, told me, "Don't be getting all romantic on me now."

I chuckled at her craftiness and was glad that I had told her. So with a squeeze of her hand, I replied, "Maybe later then."

A/N

If you want me to continue Bender and Riley's story, please comment me! I don't want to finish this, but I really liked the ending to it! Luv yah 3 Carlee


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